Lights Out

by Stopforth, W. J.

  “Make yourself comfortable” he said.

  Luk sat down with a thud on one of the old metal chairs. The beads of sweat across his forehead from his recent run were now turning cold making him shiver in the dank room.

  “I knew we would be friends when I first set eyes on you Officer…?” he probed for Luks name.

  “Luk”, he said simply.

  “Officer Luk. I’ve been missing a police friend for a few months now and I think you are going to be perfect.” His attacker stated, stretching a thin smile across his ugly mouth.

  “Did you know Officer Liu? Such a shame. He started out well. He helped us a lot, and of course we helped him too. His wife was delighted with their house in Clearwater Bay, three bedrooms, and a nice garden. But then he made a few mistakes, put us in a difficult position and, well, we don’t like mistakes.” The attacker finished menacingly.

  Luk wracked his brains. He had heard of Officer Liu. He’d been killed a few months earlier. He couldn’t remember all the details, but the message was clear. He could feel a sickening surge in his stomach and he tried to repress the urge to vomit.

  “Today you’ll go back to the station, because you didn’t manage to catch any of the bad men. But you will hear from me very soon. We’ll look after each other and you’ll start to see the benefits. Your work won’t be difficult.”

  Luk assessed the man before him. Clean cut in his dark suit. His collar was undone at the top button and his black tie slightly loose at the knot. Luk thought that he was maybe in his early forties. He looked fit and had managed to outrun Luk easily. In the dark room he stood out. At first Luk thought it was because of his white shirt, but then he realized that it wasn’t that at all. It was his pale skin. He almost glowed.

  “And if I refuse?” Luk said.

  Within a second Luk was bent over the table on his back, a hand pressed tightly around his throat cutting off his breathing and the sharp tip of the knife was hovering millimeters from his left eye. He could feel the man’s rancid breath and see the rage in his attackers eyes bearing down on him. It was the look of a man unhinged, prepared to do anything, including kill a police officer.

  Suddenly Luk found himself released and he slumped back into the chair, allowing the air into his lungs as he rubbed his throat. He watched as his attacker wiped the saliva from his mouth with the back of his hand, panting as he did so. His hair had flopped forward out of its slicked back style and he pushed his fingers through it, tidying himself up. Once composed he looked again at Luk.

  “If you refuse, my dear new friend, it will be the last thing that you do.”

  With that his attacker slipped out of the door, leaving Luk alone in the dark room. He was shaking uncontrollably now. No longer able to suppress the nausea, Luk stood and vomited next to the table. He wiped his mouth, and exited the room, relieved to be in the narrow alleyway. Glad of the rush of fresh air as he stepped outside. He scanned the alleyway in front and behind him, but his attacker was gone.

  He didn’t say anything when he met up with his colleague. Just that he had lost him in the chase. They went back to interview the woman, and did their paperwork.

  Luk only had to wait two days before he received his first message. It came in a bouquet of flowers, delivered to his desk. There was no note, just a card with a phone number.

  He called the number and waited.

  “Ah Officer Luk, so nice of you to call. Did you like the flowers? I thought yellow was your colour. Let’s meet, shall we say, thirty minutes at the Blossom House dai pai dong? Don’t keep me waiting, I hate being kept waiting.” The same voice that had hissed in Luks ear, now made him shiver. Then the phone went dead.

  Telling his colleagues that he had a Dr’s appointment, Luk left and made his way to the Dai Pai Dong.

  The first few meetings were all the same, Luk would sit and listen and his attacker would talk. He still didn’t know his name. Then on the third meeting the first request was issued. One of his men had been arrested, an extortion charge, the evidence was backed up against him and the hearing was coming up soon. He needed the evidence to become inadmissible.

  Luk didn’t sleep that night as fought with reason. Eventually he had decided to look into the case, and if he thought he could do it without compromising himself, then he would.

  It was easier than Luk thought. He re-wrote a couple of the statements, and removed one of the pieces of evidence. It took him less than twenty minutes to destroy a case that would have for sure sent the man to jail.

  That night, when he arrived home, Luk dialed the number.

  When his attacker answered he simple said. “It’s done”, and switched off the phone.

  Two days later a delivery arrived at his home. It was a parcel, wrapped in brown paper addressed to him. He quickly ripped it open, and was stunned when he saw that it was a traditional Chinese tea set. It was exquisitely presented in a lacquered box. It had a bright yellow silk inlay and a brown clay teapot sat nestled between six small clay teacups. There was a note attached that simply stated “ Enjoy the tea.’ Luk was confused. What an odd thing to send.

  He walked it through to his kitchen and carefully removed each delicate piece standing it on his worktop. Then he removed the silk layer. Underneath taped to the bottom of the box was a brown A4 sized envelope and it looked full. Luk pulled the tape off securing the packet and he ripped open the top. His mouth dropped open when he saw the contents. It was stuffed with bank notes. Luk emptied the notes onto his worktop. When he was done counting he stuffed it all back into the envelope and into the box and closed the lid. He poured himself a glass of brandy and drained the glass. One hundred thousand Hong Kong dollars was the final amount that he had counted. That was the equivalent to almost three months salary to Luk. He was stunned, nervous and excited all in one.

  Lam had listened to Luk for well over an hour. She learned that what had started out as small jobs began to shift into more disturbing territory. By now Luk had been ‘working’ for his attacker for a number of years and he had earned more than double his yearly salary. He reconciled himself that what he was doing was not so serious, he wasn’t letting killers off the hook, it was mainly money laundering and bribery. He figured that if a few triads managed to slip through the net, they would slip up again and be caught eventually. So he continued without much guilt.

  Things changed when Luk was given information about a rival triad group. It was a drug-related drop that was on his attackers home turf, and they needed it stopped. He told Luk that they expected that there would be in excess of eighty kilograms of cocaine, and five senior triad members present. Not wanting to cause an all-out triad war, Luk was asked to intervene. It needed to become a police matter, not a triad one. He was given everything on a plate, names, the date, time and location. At first Luk was reluctant, but then, realizing what this could also mean for his career, he decided to do it.

  Telling his chief that he’d had an anonymous tip off, Luk pulled together in one week Operation Sleeping Ghost. It was one of the biggest drug-related operations that the Hong Kong Police force had ever seen. It involved forty police officers from several different units. Luk knew that if it all went wrong, then his career would be up in flames.

  The drop took place exactly as indicated at a remote warehouse in Tsuen Wan, an industrial area of Kowloon. The police, as instructed, waited until everyone was in place and Luk was ready. He gave the order for the raid and within minutes six people had been rounded up. Other officers went through vehicles and clothing, and a total of sixty kilograms of cocaine was recovered. Lam remembered the case well. It gained a lot of press at the time. Headlines like major Drug Bust Completes Gang Downfall stole the front page of the newspapers. She remembered the street value quoted as being in excess of $100 million Hong Kong dollars.

  All six people, five men and one woman, were arrested and charged with dealing dangerous drugs and drug possession. They received Hong Kong’s maximum penalty of 15 years.

 
; It was a great success for Luk and he enjoyed the positive attention. Later that same year he was promoted to Detective and eventually became one of the specialists of the Organised Crime and Triad Bureau.

  Luks attacker couldn’t have been happier and of course Luk was paid handsomely.

  He was busy telling Lam all of this, when a sickening thought flashed across her mind. She stopped Luk mid sentence.

  “Luk, I need to ask you something.”

  Luk sat up in his bed and paid attention, the look on Lam’s face told him that she knew. It was only a matter of time before she would work it out. But she had pieced it together sooner than he thought.

  “The night that Ng and Ko died. That was a set-up. No one could work out how they knew that we were investigating them. Everyone was worried that we had a leak on the inside. But that night….” She trailed off, already knowing the answer.

  “It was you….” She said slowly as the true realization hit her. She glared at the man lying in the bed before her.

  “You told them that we were closing the net, and they set us up. You allowed them to do it. You allowed them to murder three police officers…” her voice, now raised in anger shook as she spoke. She stood up from the side of his bed. No longer able to contain the desperate fury that threatened to escape her body.

  “It was Ghost Face all along. He was the one there that night. I wasn’t seeing a ghost, it wasn’t my mind playing tricks on me, it was him. I always knew that one day I would see him again and then I did, earlier today. CCTV footage of the same man walking out of a dark alleyway.” She was talking to herself now rather than Luk, who sat as white as a sheet on his bed watching Lam pace up and down.

  “I could recognize his face anywhere. And now you….” She stopped and turned to look at Luk. He appeared small now, sitting there in his white gown, pale faced and all strapped up with tubes coming out of his arm.

  “You’re telling me that this is the same man that has murdered my partner Ko, Ng, and now Chow. The same man that shot Robert Black, and the same man that is responsible for raping and murdering three innocent women. You can reconcile this with yourself?”

  Luk sat in silence, knowing that his life as he knew it was over.

  Lam looked at Luk with pity.

  “I feel sorry for you. You will have to live with what you have done. You may not have murdered these people yourself. But today you have blood on your hands, and I will never let you forget it.” Lam finished pacing. Without saying another word, she grabbed her bag and coat and left the room. Outside two police officers stood guard. She turned to them.

  “No-one in and no-one out without speaking to me. Do you understand?” She spoke sharply making herself very clear.

  The two officers replied in unison, “Yes Ma’am” immediately straightened their postures.

  Lam marched out of the hospital and as she walked towards her car she dialed the Chief. It was time that she brought him up to speed.

  By the time Lam arrived at her desk, the team had set themselves up next door. She needed to find Lily. She was the one that could lead her to Ghost Face. The Chief had agreed on a deal, and he’d given her all the resources that she needed.

  Chapter 36

  Lily knew that she needed to make the call. She would set up the meeting in a busy tourist area, which would make it safer for Ryan. Ghost Face would be less likely to make a big scene in public. It would be too risky otherwise. She would arrange it all from the safe house. She didn’t want to risk being picked up at this stage in the game. She had clearly said to Lam, ‘no deal’, and she meant it. Ten years in prison was not part of the plan, and she knew that her Grandmother would find a solution, even if it did mean that she would have to leave the Country and start a new life.

  She dialed the familiar number and waited.

  The voice that she had grown to hate answered.

  “About time.” Was all he said to her. Lily dismissed the sarcasm and proceeded with her plan.

  “I think we can help each other.” She said to the point and without any emotion in her voice.

  “Really?” was his response.

  “Think of it as a simple business transaction.”

  “Continue,” he said.

  “The police have Harper and by now he has told them everything that he knows. He can identify us both. He is our only witness to the Bank robbery and the kidnapping. He’ll be the one that will stand up in court and bury the two of us. I’m not about to let that happen.” She said as convincingly as she could.

  “So what do you have in mind?” His voice was curious now, making Lily think that she had taken him by surprise.

  “I’ve spoken to him. He’s agreed to meet me in an hour at the Peninsula Hotel. I’ve told him that I’ll consider coming in and talk to the Police if he’ll meet with me first.”

  “So your charms are still working?” He said mocking her. She could hear him laugh a little, making her flush with anger.

  “It’s a chance to remove our only witness. I’m not a natural killer, but you are. You can erase this and you can do it quickly and discreetly.”

  “Interesting.” He said with a cool voice. There was a pause. “I’ll be there.”

  Then the phone went dead.

  Satisfied, Lily slipped her phone back into her pocket and waited.

  Across the City Ghost Face switched off the phone and turned to face the other man in the room. The young man was hunched over a laptop typing manically. Ghost Face moved around the room until he was standing in front of him. He could see the reflection of the light from the computer screen flicker across his face.

  “Did you get it?” He asked.

  The man looked up at him and gave reluctant smile.

  “Yes’.

  “How far?” he asked.

  “It’s close. A fifteen minute drive.” He replied.

  Sarah was still at her desk when the call came in. She’d been monitoring her emails expecting it come through that way, so she jumped slightly when her mobile started to ring.

  “Lily?” she asked.

  “Yes, it’s me”

  Immediately Lam stood and signaled to the two men in the room next door so that they could start their trace.

  “He’s taken the bait.” Lily said with a trace of pleasure in her voice.

  “I told him that Harper will be at the Peninsula Hotel in an hour to meet me. He wants Harper. He knows he’s the main witness that could put him away, so he took the bait.”

  “What about you Lily, where will you be?” Lam asked, trying to draw out the conversation. She looked across at her team in the other room and they signaled that they needed five more seconds.

  “Lily, if you’re not planning to show then you need to tell me more about Ghost Face. I don’t want Harper placed at unnecessary risk, what can we expect him to do?”

  This last question Lily hadn’t anticipated. She wanted to get off the phone, but also agreed with Lam. Ghost Face was unpredictable and strong. He could kill Harper easily given the opportunity.

  Before she could answer Lam spoke again.

  “Look, we’ll work it out,” she said as she looked across at the thumbs up and the smiling faces through the glass. They had successfully traced her.

  “Just be careful who you trust.” Lam finished and clicked off the phone leaving Lily bemused on the other end.

  When Lam put the phone down she ran through to the next room.

  “We’ve got her boss,” one of the officers said happily turning the screen for her to see.

  She’s at the Gold Coast. Twenty-Five minutes drive away from here.

  “OK” Sarah said excited that this was all finally happening.

  She called the Chief.

  “He took the bait,” she said.

  “Ghost Face will be at the Peninsula in less than an hour. He thinks Harper will be there. I’m going to get a team together and Harper and head there now. We have the location of Lily too, so I think we can round up both
of them. I’m sending a team across to pick her up now. We have one shot before they disappear.” She tried to hide the excitement in her voice.

  “Lam, be careful. Take who ever you need with you on this. Don’t forget, this man is a killer. Whatever you do don’t find yourself on your own with him, and don’t get Harper killed. You have enough paperwork to do already.” The Chief said somberly.

  “I want you to call me as soon as you have them in custody.”

  “OK Chief. I’ll keep you in the loop.” Lam said.

  Chapter 37

  Lily paced around her apartment unease in the pit of her stomach. The last comment from Lam had started her thinking about Ryan. He didn’t deserve this, she thought. Everyone was using him as bait to get to Ghost Face, and she knew that he would kill him in an instant if he managed to get within reach. She had to believe that Lam would get to him first, but something didn’t feel right. She checked her watch. It was only 5.15pm, but the sky was starting to darken. It would be pitch dark by 6pm. Ghost Face would be in the shadows looking for her and Harper by then.

  She went to her kitchen to make herself some tea, she pulled out her teacup and teapot and started to prepare loose leaves of jasmine and green tea that she combined to calm her. Whilst she waited for the kettle to boil, she switched on one of her TV’s to get some background noise.

  She poured the boiling water into her clay teapot and stood with her hands on the counter whilst she waited for the tea to settle a while. Already she could smell the aroma.

  She was about to pour the tea into her cup when a green flashing light caught her eye. She crossed the kitchen and was in front of her laptop in three paces. She quickly punched in her security code and waited for a second whilst the security images flashed up onto her screen. Lily’s pulse started to race. One of her camera’s, the one showing her driveway, was out. It wouldn’t malfunction without assistance, she considered as she typed something into her computer. Odd, she thought. “The motion sensor seems to still be on, just the image has gone”. She said to herself.